This application relates to a tool for inserting or removing tape from the thumb hole of a bowling ball.
The diameter of the holes in a bowling ball must be closely matched to the size of the bowler's thumb and fingers. As a bowler becomes more skilled, the need for a close match becomes even more important. Keeping a close match is not as easy as might be expected. More skilled bowlers recognize that the size of their fingers changes seasonally. In the summer, fingers tend to be larger than in the winter. Since the size of the hole must be cut to fit the finger at its largest expected dimension, at all other times of the year the hole will be too large for a proper fit.
Several prior art patents disclose various methods of modifying the diameter of a thumb hole in a bowling ball. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,266,804; 3,271,031; 3,342,488; 5,261,660; and 4,569,520 all disclose items to be mounted within the thumb or finger hole of the bowling ball. U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,518 and 2,837,993 both disclose tools for modifying the surface of the thumb hole.
None of these prior art devices have proven particularly successful. Instead of these proposed devices, small pieces of bowling tape have typically been placed within the thumb hole to modify the diameter of the thumb hole.
One problem with the small pieces of tape, has been in preserving the tape until it is to be used. The small pieces of tape are often crushed within the bowling bag, and thus are unusable when the bowler wants to apply them to the bowling ball thumb hole.
As will be explained below, there are also problems in properly mounting and removing the small pieces of bowling tape.
Standard bowling tape is a relatively thin piece of tape that is lined within the thumb hole of the bowling ball to reduce the effective diameter of the hole, and thus provide a close fit to the bowler's thumb. For this tape to be functional, it must have a strong adhesive to secure it properly to the bowling ball. There is a good deal of friction between the thumb and the thumb hole, and thus the tape must include the strong adhesive or it will be quickly removed from the thumb hole.
Problems arise with this tape in that the strong adhesive makes it difficult to properly attach the tape. The tape tends to stick wherever it initially contacts. It is difficult to properly place the tape within the relatively deep thumb hole without contacting the ball prior to properly placing the tape.
Bowlers have used many types of tools to apply the tape, such as scissors, small screwdrivers, knives, pencils or other elongated items that may extend into the hole. However, none of these tools have proven satisfactory, in that the tools still do not properly position the tape prior to initial contact between the tape and the ball. While one tape manufacturer has proposed small curved tools, those tools have been generally short pieces of plastic that have also not proven effective.
Another problem is the removal of old tape. Bowlers have attempted to scrape off the old tape using hand tools such as scissors, small screwdrivers, knives or pencils. These tools have not easily removed the old tape and have also damaged the bowling ball.
In general, the prior tools utilized to apply or remove tape have not provided sufficient leverage or proper placement of a tool edge relative to the thumb hole.